On April 19, 2026, David Thomas Mason died aged 79. He was musician (guitar), singer and songwriter, best known as the founding member of the band Traffic. He recorded and performed with Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Graham Nash, Steve Winwood, Donovan, Fleetwood Mac, Delaney & Bonnie, Cass Elliot, The Spencer Davis Group, Leon Russell, Paul McCartney and Wings, Julian Covey & The Machine, Stephen Stills, Phoebe Snow, Mike Finnigan, The Scaffold, Gordon Jackson, Family, Ron Wood, Noel Redding, David Crosby, Don Felder, Jim Capaldi, The Rolling Stones and George Harrison. As leader he released 16 studio and seven live albums.
Tag Archives: Traffic
Marianne Faithfull: Easy Come Easy Go
On November 10, 2008, “Naïve Records” label released “Easy Come, Easy Go”, the 18th Marianne Faithfull album. It was recorded in 2008, “Sear Sound Studio” in New York City, and was produced by Hal Willner.
Personnel:
- Marianne Faithfull – vocals
- Barry Reynolds – guitars
- Marc Ribot – acoustic and electric guitars
- Keith Richards – vocals, guitar
- Sean Lennon – vocals, guitars
- Gil Goldstein – piano, accordion, arrangements, string direction
- Brian Mitchell – piano
- Steve Weisberg – piano, electric piano, celesta, arrangements, conducting
- Rob Burger – piano, organ
- Greg Cohen – bass
- Jim White – drums
- Joey Baron – drums
- Art Baron – bass recorder, trombone
- Doug Wieselman – clarinet, bass clarinet, baritone saxophone
- Ken Peplowski – bass clarinet
- Marty Ehrlich – bass clarinet, alto saxophone
- Lenny Pickett – bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, sarrusophone, double bass
- Steven Bernstein – glockenspiel, mellophone, alto brass, trumpet
- Maxin Moston, Rob Moose – violin
- Warren Ellis – violin, electric violin
- Michael Nicholas – viola
- Jane Scarpantoni – cello
- Chan Marshall – vocals
- Nick Cave – vocals
- Antony Hegarty – vocals
- Rufus Wainwright – vocals
- Jarvis Cocker – vocals
- Kate & Anna McGarrigle – backing vocals
- Cat Power – backing vocals
- Jean-Baptiste Mondino– art direction, photography
Track listing:
- Down from Dover – Dolly Parton
- Hold On, Hold On – Neko Case
- Solitude – Duke Ellington
- The Crane Wife 3 – The Decemberists
- Easy Come, Easy Go – Bessie Smith
- Children of Stone – Espers
- How Many Worlds – Brian Eno
- In Germany Before the War – Randy Newman
- Ooh Baby Baby – Smokey Robinson
- Sing Me Back Home – Merle Haggard
- Salvation – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
- Black Coffee – Sarah Vaughan
- The Phoenix – Judee Sill
- Dear God Please Help Me – Morrissey
- Kimbie – Jackson C. Frank
- Many a Mile to Freedom – Traffic
- Somewhere (A Place for Us) – Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim
- Flandyke Shore – traditional
Traffic: On The Road
In October 1973, “Island” label released “On the Road”, the second Traffic live album. It was recorded in 1973, in Germany, and was produced by Chris Blackwell.
Personnel:
- Steve Winwood – lead vocals, guitar, piano
- Barry Beckett – organ, piano
- Chris Wood – flute, saxophone
- Jim Capaldi – lead and backing vocals, drums, percussion
- David Hood – bass
- Roger Hawkins – drums
- Rebop Kwaku Baah – congas, percussion
- Brian Humphries – engineer
- Jimmy Johnson – mixing
- Jeff Willens – mastering
- Ann Borthwick – cover art
- Brian Cooke – photography
Track listing:
- Glad / Freedom Rider – Stevie Winwood, Jim Capaldi
- Tragic Magic – Chris Wood
- (Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired – Stevie Winwood, Jim Capaldi
- Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory – Stevie Winwood, Jim Capaldi
- Light up or Leave Me Alone – Jim Capaldi
- The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys – Stevie Winwood, Jim Capaldi
Traffic: Welcome To The Canteen
On September 10, 1971, “Island” label released “Welcome to the Canteen”, the fifth Traffic album (the first live one). It was recorded in July 1971, at “Fairfield Halls” in Croydon and the “Oz Benefit Concert” in the canteen of the “Polytechnic of Central London”.
Personnel:
- Dave Mason – lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
- Steve Winwood – lead vocals, organ, electric piano, acoustic and electric guitar
- Ric Grech – electric bass
- Jim Gordon – drums
- Jim Capaldi – percussion, tambourine
- Rebop Kwaku Baah – congas, timbales, backing vocals
- Chris Wood – sax, flute, electric piano, organ
Track listing:
- Medicated Goo – Jimmy Miller, Steve Winwood
- Sad and Deep as You – Dave Mason
- Forty Thousand Headmen – Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi
- Shouldn’t Have Took More Than You Gave – Dave Mason
- Dear Mr. Fantasy – Jim Capaldi, Steve Winwood, Chris Wood
- Gimme Some Lovin’ – Steve Winwood, Muff Winwood, Spencer Davis
Noah And The Whale: The First Day Of Spring
On August 31, 2009, “Vertigo” label released “The First Day of Spring”, the second Noah and the Whale studio album. It was recorded in January 2009, and was produced by Emery Dobyns and Charlie Fink.
Personnel:
- Charlie Fink – vocals, guitar, photography
- Tom Hobden – keyboards, violin, arrangements
- Mat “Urby Whale” Owens – bass guitar
- Doug Fink – drums
- Exmoor Singers of London – choir
- BJ Cole – pedal steel
- Sam Kindrade – trumpet
- John Carvell – trombone
- Martin Slattery – flute, clarinet
- Emery Dobyns – engineer, mixing
- Emily Lazar – mastering
- Joe LaPorta – mastering assistant
- Traffic – design
- James Robinson – photography
- James Jarvin – directed by
Track listing:
All tracks by Charlie Fink.
- The First Days of Spring
- Our Window
- I Have Nothing
- My Broken Heart
- Instrumental I
- Love Of and Orchestra
- Instrumental II
- Stranger
- Blue Skies
- Slow Glass
- My Door Is Always Open
Thom Yorke: Anima
On June 27, 2019, “XL Recordings” label released “Anima”, the third Thom Yorke studio album. It was recorded in 2019, at “Air Studios” in London, and was produced by Nigel Godrich.
Personnel:
- Thom Yorke – artwork (credited as Tchocky)
- Joey Waronker – drums
- Philip Selway – sped-up drums
- Tarik Barri – computer artists
- London Contemporary Orchestra and Choir
- Hugh Brunt – conducting, orchestrations
- Talia Morey – copy
- Galya Bisengalieva (leader), Alessandro Ruisi, Zara Benyounes, Alexandra Caldon, Venetia Jollands, Patrick Savage, Anna Ovsyanikova, Marianne Haynes – first violins
- Eloisa-Fleur Thom, Emily Holland, Gillon Cameron, Guy Button, Nicole Stokes, Francesca Barritt, Violeta Barreña, Ed McCullagh – second violins
- Ian Anderson, Clifton Harrison, Matt Kettle, Matthew Maguire, Diana Matthews, Alison D’Souza, Jenny Lewisohn, Meghan Cassidy – violas
- Brian O’Kane, Reinoud Ford, Jonny Byers, Gregor Riddell, Zoe Martlew, Sergio Serra – cellos
- Dave Brown, Roger Linley, Laurence Ungless, Gwen Reed – double basses
- Pasha Mansurov (solo: piccolo, alto and bass), Zinajda Kodrič (II: alto and bass), Gareth Mclearnon (III: alto, bass and contrabass) – flutes
- Craig Apps, Zands Duggan, Louise Anna Duggan – percussion
- Josephine Stephenson, Héloïse Werner, Fiona Fraser, Harriet Armston-Clarke, Laurel Neighbour, Eleanor Gregory – sopranos
- Rose Martin, Katie Schofield, Amy Lyddon, Emma Lewis, Lissie Paul, Judy Brown – altos
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Stanley Donwood – artwork
Track listing:
All lyrics by Thom Yorke, all music by Nigel Godrich and Thom Yorke.
- Traffic
- Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain)
- Twist
- Dawn Chorus
- I Am a Very Rude Person
- Not the News
- The Axe
- Impossible Knots
- Runwayaway
Rebop Kwaku Baah
On January 12, 1983, Anthony “Rebop” Kwaku Baah died aged 38. He was musician (percussion), recorded and performed with Can, Wynder K. Frog, Randy Weston, Jim Capaldi, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Free, Third World, Vivian Stanshall, Billy Cobham, Steve Winwood, The Unknown Cases, and Wally Badarou, but was best known as a member of the band Traffic. As a leader he released four albums.
Idlewild: The Remote Part
On July 13, 2002, “Parlaphone” label released “The Remote Part”, the third Idlewild album. It was recorded in 2001 and was produced by Dave Eringa, Stephen Street, and Guy Massey.
Personnel:
- Roddy Woomble- vocals, artwork concept
- Rod Jones– vocals, guitar
- Allan Stewart- guitar
- Jeremy Mills- piano
- Bob Fairfoull- bass
- Colin Newton- drums
- Sally Herbert – string arrangements
- Guy Massey – engineer
- Cenzo Townsend – engineer
- Dave Eringa- mixing
- Howie Weinberg- mastering
- Dan Grech-Marguerat- mixing assistant
- Traffic – art direction, design
- Danny Clinch- band photography
Track listing:
All tracks by Roddy Woomble, Rod Jones, Bob Fairfoull, and Colin Newton, except where noted.
- You Held the World in Your Arms
- A Modern Way of Letting Go
- American English
- I Never Wanted – Roody Woomble, Rod Jones, Bob Fairfoull, Colin Newton, Jeremy Mills, Allan Stewart
- (I Am) What I Am Not
- Live in a Hiding Place
- Out of Routine
- Century After Century
- Tell Me Ten Words
- Stay the Same
- In Remote Part/Scottish Fiction – Roody Woomble, Rod Jones, Bob Fairfoull, Colin Newton, Edwin Morgan
Traffic: Far From Home
On May 9, 1994, “Virgin” label released “Far From Home”, the eighth and final Traffic studio album. It was recorded 1974 – 1994, at Woodstock, Kilcoole, Eire, and was produced by Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi.
Personnel:
- Steve Winwood– lead and backing vocals, organs, piano, synthesizers, lead guitar, basses, flute, saxophone, congas, timbales, programming
- Jim Capaldi– drums, percussion, backing vocals, art direction
- Davy Spillane- Uilleann pipes
- Mick Dolan- rhythm guitar, AKAI S1000 programming, engineer, mixing
- Karim Benzezour – mixing assistant
- Tim Young – mastering
Track listing:
All tracks by Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi except where noted.
- Riding High
- Here Comes a Man
- Far from Home
- Nowhere is Their Freedom
- Holy Ground – Stevie Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Davy Spillane
- Some Kinda Woman
- Every Night, Every Day
- This Train Won’t Stop
- State of Grace
- Mozambique
Traffic: The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys
In November 1971, “Island” label released “The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys”, the fifth Traffic studio album. It was recorded in 1971, at “Island Studios” in London, and was produced by Steve Winwood. In 1996, the album was certified Platinum in US by the “RIAA”.
Personnel:
- Steve Winwood– lead vocals, guitar, piano, organ
- Jim Capaldi– lead and backing vocals, percussion
- Chris Wood– saxophone, flute
- Ric Grech– bass, violin
- Jim Gordon– drums
- Rebop Kwaku Baah– percussion
- Mike Kellie– drums
- Brian Humphries – engineer
- Tony Wright– cover art
- Richard Polak – photography
Track listing:
- Hidden Treasure – Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi
- The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys – Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi
- Light Up or Leave Me Alone – Jim Capaldi
- Rock & Roll Stew – Ric Grech, Jim Gordon
- Many a Mile to Freedom – Steve Winwood, Anna Capaldi
- Rainmaker – Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi
musicalphabet 